Scarlet Defends Intrasquad Meet Title

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln? Behind a pair of wins by junior Jenny Toler and victories in both relays, the Scarlet team downed the Cream, 70-57, in the sixth annual intrasquad meet Friday afternoon at the Devaney Natatorium.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

With eight wins in the 14-event meet, the Scarlet had two stretches that saw it win three-straight events. The first came out of the gate, as it took the 200-yard medley relay (freshman Rachell McClain, sophomore Hailey Dean, sophomore Mariah Hutchinson and senior Lynn Siemert), the 200-yard freestyle (Jenny Toler) and the 50-yard freestyle (Lynn Siemert) to build an early advantage.

 

The Cream responded with a trio of wins itself by sophomore Christina Yemm (200-yard individual medley), freshmen Mariesa Cloud and Emily Burbach (one-meter dive) and freshman Kelsey Grushecky (100-yard butterfly) to fight back and show a major part of what head coach Pablo Morales believes was the best intrasquad meet in its six-year existence.

 

“On so many levels, this was a great Scarlet vs. Cream meet,” Morales said. “With all due respect to other meets that we’ve had in the past, this has to be the top in terms of the competitiveness and spirit.”

 

The meet marked the first competitive environment for the 2007-08 Huskers and the last intrasquad for Nebraska’s two seniors, Lynn Siemert and Adrienne Goodman. The Husker coaching staff was also able to receive a more complete evaluation of its 11-person freshmen class. In addition to Grushecky’s win in the 100-yard butterfly, freshmen Rachell McClain (100-yard backstroke) and Brandie Kavalec of the Scarlet team won swimming events as well.

 

McClain and Kavalec’s wins came during the Scarlet’s second stretch of three-consecutive wins that included Toler’s second win of the day-the 100-yard freestyle. Along with a 100-yard breaststroke win by sophomore Hailey Dean, there was enough separation to secure the victory before the Cream won the three-meter dive (Cloud and Burbach), the swimmer’s one-meter dive (sophomore Kaitlin Arntz) and the diver’s 50-yard freestyle (Burbach).

 

The Scarlet capped the meet with a win in the 200-yard freestyle relay by Dean, Siemert, Toler and freshman Meredith Matthies and improve it’s all-time record to 3-2 over the Cream.

 

Nebraska opens the 2007-08 regular season next Friday, Oct. 12 when it hosts Illinois of the Big Ten Conference. Action from the Devaney Natatorium begins at 5 p.m.